This is a zine dedicated to black metal written by a follower of the left hand path, This zine has been around in a different format for a while and I have decided to make an edition for www.blogger.com, for more information email occultblackmetalzine@yahoo.com, new albums as well as classic albums will be reviewed on here as long as their good quality black metal,

Thursday, September 27, 2012

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?Tsar Bomb is a Extreme Black-Death Metal band from the south of Spain. Formed in 2009 it has had numerous lineup changes; a fact that has prevented live shows and recording material. In autumn 2011 the band had their debut concert, after which new variations occurred in the formation, delaying the release of their first album "Neowarfare" which was scheduled for the end of this year, but with the recent signing with Badgod Music, it will be released this October 9.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Very fast and aggressive, with a homogeneous mixture between black and death metal in its most extreme variants.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Tsar Bomb's philosophy revolves around modern warfare and its concepts. The essentially nihilistic and misanthropic thought advocates the complete disappearance of the human race, as evidenced by the lyrics which are imbued with hatred and aversion towards life, spiced with references to various mythic archetypes and a classic Satanism with feelings of a powerful rejection to everything human.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?The band’s name refers to the most powerful weapons of destruction created by the hand of man. Tsar Bomb, was a Russian hydrogen bomb of 100 megatons, tested with 50 megatons on October 30, 1961.

5. Has the band been able to play out live or is this a studio project?

Yes,we played a couple of times live. We could not play anymore because there have been so many lineup changes. But now we’re in a good time and will be playing some dates.Soon we'd like to do a small tour here in Spain.

6. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

Good, our label BadGod Music is helping a lot to make us known worldwide. We’re very happy.But we still have a long way to go before we are well-known.

7. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

This is a full time line up, although Ocram and Lord Cabal are working in a symphonic black metal project which will be released in a future.

8. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

About the same musical aggressive line, with many changes and better sound… But keeping our two pillars, black metal and death metal.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We’reinfluenced by bands such as 1349, Behemoth, Origin, Gorgoroth, Mayhem…All members of the band like the black and death metal obviously… but outside of this, each member has different musical tastes.

10. Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?

Yes, you can find a primitive Satanism of hatred towards the human race in our lyrics. However Tsar Bomb isn’t a “satanic band”. We don’t worship Satan. We don’t believe in its existence. Satan is a powerful mythological concept, but only that. We use this concept to enhance feelings of rejection to the human race. Occultism plays a role in our music too. You can see this in tracks as “Ashes of my Enemies” or “Nammu”.

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

We have many interests, such as nihilistic philosophy, second world war, mythology, and many others.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thank you very much for the interview, and only recommend to readers, listen to our new album "Neowarfare" and support us on Facebook, Bandcamp and other social networks...Greetings from Spain.

Anaal Nathrakh are a band from the U.K that has been featured before in this zine with their music style being a mixture of fast, heavy and brutal black metal mixed with grindcore and this is a review of their 2012 album "Vanitas" which was released by Candlelight Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music, while t he bass playing h as a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the samples which are only utiliozed briefly they bring in elements of dub step and experimental into t he music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of melody, death metal and grindcore influences being thrown into the riffing creating a hybrid of the three genres, while the lead guitars are very chaotic and melodic sounding extreme metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal screams, deep death/grind growls and clean singing, while the lyrics cover violent and hateful themes, as for t he production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion this is another great album from Anaal Nathrakh and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Blood Dimmed-Tide" "Todos Somos Humanos" "Make Glory The Embrace Of Saturn" and "Of Fire And Fucking Pigs". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Murk are a 1 man band from Italy that plays a very raw and primitive form of old school black metal mixed with black/thrash and this is a review of their 2008 compilation cassette "Drifting Mine" which was released by Bylec Tum.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast playing with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a powerful sound with some primitive riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast old school primitive black metal riffs that utilize some old school and punk style riffing at times on the later songs to give the music more variety, while the lead guitars when they utilized are very old school sounding black/thrash guitar solos and leads

Vocals are mostly high pitched hateful black metal screams with some 80's style black/thrash growls being utilized at times mostly on the later tunes, while the lyrics cover violent and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very raw and primitive sound which sounds like a mixture between early 90's black metal and 80's German thrash metal and at times you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Murk are a very great sounding hybrid of raw and primitive sounding old school black metal and black/thrash and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Prostitutes Of Life... Prostitutes Of Death" "Corporal Punishment" "Perverted Behaviour" and "Visions Of Death". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Black Autumn are a man band from Germany that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style that I would describe as being ambient black metal with doom metal influences and this is a review of their 2010 album "Aurora" which was released by Cain Records.

Drum programming ranges from slow to mid paced beats, while the synths bring a very dark, atmospheric and ambient sound to the music with elements of psychedelic music being utilized at times, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced ambient black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of dark sounding melodies and doom metal influences in the riffing with a good amount of the songs being instrumental as well as adding some soft and clean playing at times, while the lead guitars when they are utilized are very depressive and melodic sounding dark metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking to bring a more dark avant garde sound to the music.

Vocals are mostly deep depressive black metal screams with some spoken word samples being utilized at times, while the lyrics cover dark and metaphysical themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound with the songs not being either too short or long in length.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Black Autumn and if you are a fan of ambient black metal mixed with doom metal, you should c heck this album out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Three Fold Life" "Seven Spirits" and "Aurora". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Deviator are a 1 man band from Ukraine that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style that I would describe as being raw and primitive sounding pagan black metal with a depressive and death metal edge and this is a review of their 2012 album "Fehu-Fohat-Fire" which was released as a joint effort between Kundalini and Depressive Illusions Records.

Drum programming ranges from slow to mid paced beats, while the keyboards bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced depressive black metal riffs that are very dark, raw and primitive sounding with a good amount of melody, doom and death metal influences being thrown into the riffing as well as a brief use of soft and clean playing, while the lead guitars are very depressive and melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads with some guest musicians being utilized on a couple of songs.

Vocals are mostly deep sounding black metal screams mixed in with some deep death metal growls and spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover Darkness and Norse Paganism with some mention of Agni from Indo Aryan Mythology, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear every musical instrument that is present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Deviator and if you are a fan of their past releases, you should check this album out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Way Of Warriors - Hymn To Immortals" and "Burning Brideges Become Ashes". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Munruthel are a band from Ukraine that has been featured before in this zine with the new album returning their pagan black metal roots while retaining the neo classical elements of music elements of their previous release and this is a review of their 2012 album "CREEDamage" which was released by Svarga Music.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a brief use of blast beats and some tribal style shamanistic drum playing, while the synths bring a very atmospheric, progressive, folk, pagan, symphonic, epic and classical music sound to the music in addition there are some folk instruments being utilized at times, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful tone with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording which utilize a gothic rock feeling to them at times.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast pagan/black metal riffs that are very dark and melodic sounding with some death metal influences being thrown into the riffing at times, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos and leads that have a very traditional metal feeling to them, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords and finger picking to bring a dark pagan medieval feeling to the recording as well as some progressive music elements.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal screams, deep death metal growls clean singing male and female vocals as well as a brief use of spoken word samples and choirs, while the lyrics cover Nature and Slavic Pagan themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Munruthel and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Rolls of Thunder From The Fiery Skies" "CREEDamage" "The Lake" which is a Bathory cover and "Carpathians Shield". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Monday, September 24, 2012

This is a review of a self released cassette between Boston, Ma's Grue and Word Of Unmaking which was released in 2012 and we will start of the review with grue a band that plays a very dark, raw and primitive form of occult black metal.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark, raw and primitive sounding that utilize some old school and modern day elements and there are no guitar solos or leads present on their side of the recording, as for the acoustic guitars which are only utilized briefly they use finger picking and full chords to enhance the darkness that is coming out of the music.

Vocals are all high pitched hateful black metal screams, while the lyrics cover Dark, Left Hand Path and Occult themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound with the songs not being too short or long in length.

In my opinion Grue are a very great sounding dark, raw and primitive occult black metal band with the best music on this split and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ascending The Necrolith" and "Across Black Seas Of Infinity". RECOMMENDED.

Next up is Word Of Unmaking a band that is a side project of one of the members of Grue with a musical style that I would describe as being funeral doom metal.

Drums are all slow beats with no fast playing or blast beats being present on their side of the recording, while the bass playing has a very dark dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are all slow funeral doom/metal riffs that are very depressive with a good amount of dark sounding melodies being thrown into the riffing as well as a brief use of clean playing that gives the music an ambient sound and there are no guitar solos or leads present on their side of the recording.

Vocals are all deep funeral doom/death metal growls, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it with their only song being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion while this is something you dont see regular in this zine I still feel that Word Of Unmaking are a very great sounding funeral doom metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED.

In conclusion this is a really great split and I would recommend this to all fans of occult black metal and funeral doom metal. RECOMMENDED BUy.

Hungry Like Rakovitz are a band from Italy that mixes primitive black metal with with grind, crust and hardcore and this is a review of their 2012 album "HollymosH" which was released by Grindpromotion Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine primitive black metal with crust, grind and hardcore and there are no guitar solos or leads present on t he songs which are very short in length.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal/grindcore screams to crust/hardcore style yelling and shouting as well as some spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover violent and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Hungry Like Rakovitz and if you are a fan of crusty black metal mixed with hardcore, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Heart Grinder" "Asskicker" "Carpe Diem" and "Rotten But Not Yet". RECOMMENDED BUY.

1. Can you give us an update on
what is going on with the band these days?

Hello!

At the moment we are promoting our
brand-new album titled Via Combusta, which has been released on Darknagar
Records. Moreover the band is actively rehearsing and preparing for gigs in the
South of Russia supporting the CD. Also we are composing songs for the EP which
is planned to be recorded and released in 2013. This opus will set the
direction of our creative development.

2. How would you describe the
musical sound of the newer album and how it differs from previous releases?

“Via Combusta” means reaching
another level of quality for us. Stylistically it is Ethno Dark Metal with
Death and Progressive Metal influences. The recording process lasted about two
years because of some technical and personal difficulties. Anyway we have done
our best on this album. We’ve achieved a higher quality of production in
compare with the “Lost in the Depths” CD and used a lot of ethnic instruments
such as hammered dulcimer, zurna, some hand drums and percussions... Also we’ve
recorded a couple of non-metal tracks which create dark atmosphere on the
album. It was a first such experience for us and we are rather pleased with the
result!

Another feature of the album is
Greek lyrics in three songs (Thanos, thank you for making it possible!).

3. What are some of the lyrical
topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Actually our lyrics are based upon
mythological themes and monotheistic religions. But we sing not about mythology
or religion as such. All our songs are about contemporary realities and
internal search and do not contain retellings of myths and legends. On the
other hand these realities are reflected in myths and legends and we only draw
an analogy between them.

4. What is the meaning and
inspiration behind the bands name?

'Atra Hora' (Latin) means 'Black
Hour'. This title was offered by the member of the band with which we shared
the rehearsal room. We accepted it as it most closely suited to describe our
perception of the world and the modern epoch.

5. What are some of the best shows
that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage
performance?

Yes, as I’ve already told you, we
are preparing some shows in Russia.
But we do not want to limit ourselves with local gigs and we would be glad to
play abroad if we have an invitation.

The fact is what we haven’t played
live for about two years. It is too fucking bad, but we have had a lot of
line-up changes during this period. Another trouble is what it is almost
impossible to find session musicians for live shows in our region... that is
why we had to concentrate on studio work for a while. But now we have a
complete line-up and are ready to continue our live activities!

7. On a worldwide level how has the
feedback been to your newer music by metal fans?

Positive in general. I receive
letters from metalheads from CIS, Europe, Latin America
and Middle-Eastern region and they find our style interesting. I would like to
thank anyone who supports us by ordering our CDs or simply telling kind words
about our music!

8. What is going on with the other
projects these days?

Yanis (guitars, back vocals) and I
are also involved in Tristesse Aeternum. It is a Depressive Dark Metal
studio-project, which has already finished recording sessions of the debut
full-length album titled “The Curse”. Now we are searching for a designer who
could make an artwork for the CD.

9. What direction do you see your
music heading into on future releases?

We do not want to play the same
music constantly. Each our album has its own style and sound. The first one was
a mixture of Black and Death Metal, the second one is more Atmospheric Dark
Metal, on the third we want to achieve more aggressive Death Metal sound. Our
music depends on our liking: we are extremely sincere to ourselves and to our
fans, we play what we want to play. One thing is for sure: our music will
always contain a lot of oriental melodies and sounds of ethnic instruments.

10. What are some bands or musical
styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to
nowadays?

Talking about influences it is
difficult to cover all of them. It is the classical metal, the 80-90ths extreme
underground, ethnic, classical and electronic music. In short, it is everything
from Renaissance and Baroque music to Grindcore, huh. If we talk about artists
I would like to highlight Death, Morbid Angel, Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh,
Horrified, Paradise Lost, Anathema, Porcupine Tree, King Crimson and Dead Can
Dance and Daemonia Nymphe.

11. Outside of music what are some
of your interests?

Yanis studies religious systems and
esoteric doctrines and sometimes tries on a variety of grueling practices.
Genrih enjoys hunting and jeeping. Nicolaos likes cooking and studying eastern
martial arts. Alexander engages in melee fighting, studies Russian history and
enjoys numismatics. I own Darknagar Records label; it takes almost all of my
efforts and time. Sometimes I study regional geography and culture.

12. Any final words or thoughts
before we wrap up this interview

Support the metal scene around the
worldinany possible way! Spread news about
your favorite artists, buy CDs, visit shows or simply contact musicians and
write a line about their music. It always means much! I wish you peaceful sky
over your head and tons of great music!

O are a band from Italy that mixes raw and primitive sounding black metal with crust, grind, and post hardcore and this is a review of their 2012 album "Il Vuoto Perfetto" which was released by Grindpromotion Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine primitive black metal with grin, crust and post hardcore with a good amount of dark sounding melodies being thrown into the riffing as well as brief use of soft and clean playing and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal screams, and hardcore style yelling, while the lyrics are written in Italian and cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on t his recording.

In my opinion this is another great recording from O and if you are a fan of black metal mixed with post hardcore, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Apnea" "Non e Vivo" "Contemplando" "Creatori Nascosti" and "L' Inizio". RECOMMENDED BUY.

This is a review of a self released split ep between Italy's Hungry Like Ravovitz and O which was released in 2011 and we will start of the review with Hungry Like Rakovitz a band that mixes primitive black metal, crust, grind and sludge together.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout their side of the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine primitive black metal with crust, grind, sludge and hardcore and there are no guitar solos or leads present on their side of the recording.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal/grindcore screams to crustcore style shouts and growls, while the lyrics cover evil and violent themes, as for the production it has a very heavy, raw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on their side of the recording.

In my opinion Hungry Like Ravovitz are a very great sounding hybrid of black metal, crust, grind, sludge and hardcore and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out t his band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Nice To Kill You". RECOMMENDED.

Next up is O a band that mixes raw and primitive black metal with crust, grind and hardcore.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine black metal with crust, grind, and hardcore and there are no guitar solos or leads present on their side of the recording.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal screams to hardcore style yelling, while the lyrics are written in Italian and cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound while you can still hear all of the musical instruements that are present on their side of the recording.

In my opinion O are a very great sounding hybrid of black metal, crust, grind and hardcore with the best music on this split and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Inestinto". RECOMMENDED.

In conclusion I feel this is a very great split and I would recommend to all fans of crusty black metal. RECOMMENDED BUY.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Germ are a band from Australia that has been featured before in this zine that combines black metal with trance and heavy rock and this is a review of their 2012 album "Loss" which was released by Eisenwald.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with not much in the way of fast playing or blast beats being presented on this recording, while the synths bring a very experimental, dark and atmospheric sound to the music with influences from trance, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced riffs that combine depressive black metal with trance and heavy rock to create a sound of their own, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos and leads, a s for the acoustic guitars they use full chords to enhance the darkness that is coming out of the music.

Vocals range from high pitched depressive black metal s creams to clean singing, while the lyrics cover dark and depressive themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, and heavy sound to it with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great recording from germ and if you are a fan of this band, you should c heck out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "So Lonely, Dead Lonely" and "Cold grey Dawn (A New Beginning)" . RECOMMENDED BUY.

Silent Leges Inter Arma are a band from Germany that plays a very dark, raw and primitive form of black metal with a death metal edge and this is a review of their self released 2012 album which was released by Eisenwald Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark, raw and primitive sounding with some death metal influences being thrown into the riffing, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding black/death metal guitar solos and leads with a good amount of melody, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to enhance the darkness that is coming out of the music.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal screams and deep blackened death metal growls as well as a brief use of clean singing on one song, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Silent Legs Inter Arma are a very great sounding hybrid of raw and primitive black metal and blackened death metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should c heck out t his band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Flacon-Headed One" "Beyond The Light" and "Wings". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Secret are a band from Italy that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style that mixes raw and primitive sounding black metal with crust punk and this is a review of their 2012 album "Agnus Dei" which was released by Southern Lord Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while t he bass playing h as a very strong and powerful tone with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine raw and primitive sounding black metal with crust punk along with a great amount of dark and monolith soundscape riffing that bring a doom metal feeling to the music and there are no guitar solos or leads present on t his recording.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some aggressive sounding crustcore growls, shouts and screams, while the lyrics cover dark and occult themes, as for the production it has a very dark, powerful and heavy sound that does not take away from the raw and primitive nature of the music and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great recording from The Secret and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "May God Damn Us All" "Geometric Power" "Heretic Temple" and "Obscure Dogma". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Bane are a band from Serbia that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style I would describe as being fast and aggressive sounding atmospheric black metal with a death metal edge and this is a review of their 2012 album "The Acausal Fire" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful tone with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording, as for the synths they are only used on the outro and they bring a dark and atmospheric sound to t he music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that capture atmosphere without using synths and keyboards along with a great amount of dark sounding melodies and death metal influences being thrown into the riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars which are only utilized briefly they use full chords and finger picking to enhance the darkness that is coming out of the music.

Vocals range from deep blackened death metal growls and high pitched black metal screams as well as a brief use of clean singing, while the lyrics cover satanic, occult, dark, violent and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very strong and powerful sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Bane and if you are a fan of t heir previous efforts, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The End Of Humanity" "World Of Desolation" and "Nights Blood" which is a Dissection cover. RECOMMENDED BUY.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Blutvial are a band from the U.K that plays an aggressive and violent form of black metal with a thrash edge and this is a review of their 2012 album "Curses Thorns Blood" which was released by Mordgrimm Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music at times while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very raw and primitive sounding at times with a good amount of thrash influences being thrown into the riffing as well as some dark sounding melodies, while the lead guitars when they are utilized are very chaotic sounding extreme metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly high pitched and grim sounding hateful black metal screams, while the lyrics cover dark and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, raw and primitive sound to it with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Blutvial are a very great sounding aggressive and violent black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "At The Stones We Gather" "Conspiracy Of Optimism" and "A Light In The Forest". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Atra Hora are a band from Russia that started out as a raw and primitive sounding black metal band but have evolved into a more atmospheric dark black/death metal band over the years and this is a review of their 2012 album "Via Combusta" which was released by Darknagar Records.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with not much in the way of fast playing or blast beats with some tribal style drum playing being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful tone with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording, as for t he keyboards they bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine black, death and doom metal together with a great amount of dark sounding melodies being thrown into the riffing as well as a brief use of soft and clean playing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars which are only utilized briefly they use exotic sounding scales, finger picking, and full chords to bring an ethnic feeling to the music.

Vocals range from deep death/doom metal growls, high pitched black metal screams and spoken word parts as well as a brief use of clean singing, while the lyrics cover Mythology and Philosophical themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording in addition some of the songs are long and epic in length.

In my Atra Hora are a very great sounding hybrid of dark, black, death and doom metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Transmigration" "Hronos" and "Phobos". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Nocturnal are a band from Poland that plays a very raw and primitive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2005 album "Unholycraft - Blood For Glory Of Satan" which was released as a joint effort between Black Plague Records and God Is Myth Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark, raw and primitive sounding in the old school tradition, while the lead guitars when they are utilized briefly are very raw and primitive sounding black metal guitar solos and leads

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with some samples being thrown into the music at times, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Luciferian, Heretical, Darkness, Evil and Anti Christian themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Nocturnal are a very great sounding raw and primitive satanic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Pack Of Lucifer - Eternal Legion Of Evil" "The Heretic Mass - Plague... Spit On It' and "Deep Within Enchanted Lands". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Tsar Bomb are a band from Spain that plays a very heavy and brutal form of black metal with some death metal influences and this is a review of t heir 2012 album "Neowarfare" which was released by badGod Music.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal blast b eats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing h as a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of brutal blackened death metal influences in the riffing, while the lead guitars when t hey are utilized are very chaotic sounding black/death metal guitar solos and leads

Vocals are mostly high pitched and grim sounding black metal screams with some deep blackened death metal growls being thrown into the music at times as well as a brief use of spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover violence, war and destruction, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound to it that does not take away from the rawer elements of the music.

In my opinion Tsar Bomb are a very great sounding hybrid of traditional black and blackened death metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Tsar Bomb" "Nuclear Feast" "Ashes Of My Enemies" and "Nammu". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Friday, September 7, 2012

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Yes. Horla consists of me, O.G. I program the drums, record all the instruments and vocals, all using very low-tech equipment in my flat in Norwich. The one-man band thing wasn't (and still isn't) out of choice: I've always wanted to write and play black metal music, but it's a bit difficult when there are few like minded musicians where you live. I started recording my "songs" in 2011. The first songs I recorded were more in a depressive vein than the ones that you can find on bandcamp or soundcloud. Maybe they'll surface again one day. I put some of the music up on the interweb for friends and others to hear and got a lot of encouragement. So here we are.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

As a complete accident. The main verse-riff from "Spider Trap" for example was meant to be in the vein of some of the more jazzy/proggy bits from recent Enslaved releases. When I recorded it, it came out sounding horribly discordant, like someone being tortured. So I wrote the rest of the song to fit with the "torture" sound. I use a lot of jazzy-sounding chords and dissonance, and only the occasional minor bar-chord, so it doesn't really sound much like the more classical sounding Scandinavian style of black metal IMO. I hate folk-metal and folk-inspired metal with a passion (because it always sounds like a parody of actual folk music) so I try and avoid anything that sounds cheesy in that way. I sound more like French and American bands. The two biggest influences for the previous demos have been DSO and Leviathan.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Sex, violence, animals... everything a growing lad needs. I use bestial imagery as a way expressing themes of pessimism, fatalism and misanthropy. Europe has a dark recent history and economic crises are bad omens. It's quite possible that we're all about to get fucked by some political event or other, - but here's the point: how could we resist? When someone came along to channel their 'Geist' and to lead the 'Volk',the Germans couldn't help themselves. When Some Churchill or Thatcher comes along to massage the sad, misguided ego of the British populace with some ridiculous, imperialist fantasy, they immediately join the queue to shoot "dirty foreigners". I could go on. That is what the title of the song "Quella Piovra..." means: "The octopus is the pleasure, the octopus is death". My songs express the following wisdom: people derive sublime, abysmal pleasure from destroying each other.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

"Horla" comes from a novella called le Horla by the French author Guy de Maupassant. It's about a man who is haunted by a ghostly presence which he calls "le horla". He isn't sure if it's real or he's going mad. Despite his best efforts he is unable to get rid of the thing. So at the end he resolves to kill himself. I incorporate references to le Horla into my music. The sample at the end of "Spell" is the final lines of the novella (taken from a French T.V. adaptation). The song title "ces profondes et delicates racines..." is a quote.

5. Currently there is only one member in the band are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain solo?

I would like to find a drummer to collaborate with as a studio project. I work quite hard at making my programmed drums sound as natural as possible but it's still not ideal, I'd prefer to have a natural drum sound. So if there are any drummers out there who are innarested.... I'm quite self-conscious about being just another one-man band at the moment, of sounding like another Xasthur wannabe, and I'd like to change that state of affairs ASAP.

6. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so, what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?

Obviously it would be great to have someone distribute and promote my music to a (slightly) wider audience. It'd be cool if someone were to help out with the cost of pressing CD's/tapes/whatever, and of making a professional-looking job with the packaging. It's all a bit DIY at the moment. As to what kind of label, I've not done as much research as I should, perhaps. There are a lot of small labels. A label with bands who have an American or French sound, I guess I would fit nicely there. I've had some attention from two or three distros. We'll see.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

"Tentacles" has had a good reception since I put it up a few days ago from the people who've heard it. Generally, the remarks have been that it's an improvement on "Primordial Mockery". "Primordial Mockery" got a mixed reception. People really liked the music, but often found the production completely impenetrable, which wasn't really intentional. So I might re-record those songs one day.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this full time?

Yes, there's a Norwich-based crust-punk/black metal project in the offing, but as per usual, finding a drummer is proving an absolute nightmare.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

I've been listening to a lot of Shining and Satyricon recently, so perhaps the next thing I release will have a darker, heavier sound to it. On the other hand, I might try and write a few faster songs, in a Mayhem or DSO style. It's just a matter of programming the drum machine so it doesn't sound horrible and plastic when I want to play fast.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I have a lot of friends who are into prog-stuff like Mars Volta, Tool, Porcupine Tree, which I have inevitably grown into. I also quite like some "math-metal" things like Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah (but not djent). As for black metal, a mix of the old Scandinavian favourites (Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Satyricon, Enslaved, etc.) and the bigger USBM bands like Leviathan and Xasthur. Nowadays, I like finding underground American bands who seem to have a slightly hardcore tinge like Mutilation Rites and Cara Neir. I don't know how much any of this comes out in my music. I like classical music too, like Berlioz and Mendelssohn. But the best music ever (metal or non metal) is the music to Bizet's Carmen. No contest.

11. Does Satanism or occultism play any role in your music?

Not so much. The closest I get to occultism is the frequent references to mystical animals and tentacle-rape (like the krakken in "Quella Piovra..." and the lyrics to "Spell" which was partly inspired by the tree-rape scene in "The Evil Dead" and by the Poem "Leda and The Swan" by W.B. Yeats) but that's really just a metaphor for the libidinal aspects of war and violence. My lyrics are more an expression of my pessimistic world view than anything else.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I'm a post-graduate philosophy student. I read loads of Nietzsche, Foucault, Deleuze, etc. I also like watching old European films, like anything by Ingmar Bergman or Alain Resnais. Also the documentaries of Adam Curtis. I sound very pretentious, but I'm not going to apologize for that. It's not my fault others don't have the attention span...

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Yeah, three things:

1) Some black metal bands need to do some gigs in England (near me) some time soon. And I don't mean festivals, I mean gigs. If you look at the listings in different venues, there's nothing, absolutely nothing on for the next few months. Unless you like Cradle of Filth. This really isn't on, you know.

2) If any drummers are interested in getting involved with Horla, please contact me atoghost667@gmail.com, or through Horla's facebook page.